New Civic looks to correct course

The Honda Civic was the third bestselling car in Orange County last year, but that didn't stop auto enthusiasts from complaining. The back end on the 2012 model was too boring, they whined. And the front grille? Yawn.

Professional critics also piled on. Consumer Reports described the vehicle's steering as "vague," its ride "choppy," its interior "low rent." The magazine – which once loved the Civic and routinely issued strong reviews – rated the vehicle an embarrassing "too low to recommend."

Honda, it seemed, had hit a major speed bump with its longest-running nameplate, despite an impressive record: More than 9.5 million Civics have been sold in the U.S. since 1973.

All of which brings us to the 2013 model, which, coincidentally, marks the car's 40th anniversary. Just 18 months after introducing its ninth generation update, Honda is tweaking its megaseller with improvements to its appearance, ride quality and standard features for a price increase of just $160. The changes were scheduled for six months later but were moved up because the highly competitive compact car landscape was making the Civic seem prematurely dated.

As part of an emergency, mid-cycle refresh that strives to silence its critics, the 2013 Civic has been refashioned with new front and rear ends that elevate its look a notch from utterly mundane to a style that's sportier, but not so much that it might actually swivel a head. The horizontal lines of its grille have been replaced with a honeycomb. Its front bumper is angled rather than round, while its back end has been creased with a chrome flourish.

More significant is the additional body structure, which Honda anticipates will earn the car a "good" safety rating in the new small overlap crash test, and, from a rideability perspective, the finessing of its suspension and additional noise reduction. In my weekend-long test of the 2013 Civic EX, it did exactly as I expected for a vehicle that starts at $20,815: It transported me from point A to point B with utilitarian efficiency and a cabin that wasn't so noisy that it inspired me to crank the stereo.

Still, I wondered: Was the 2012 model really that horrible? Would the average customer notice Honda's 11th hour intervention? I stopped by the dealer I've been passing almost daily on my commute to take both model-year cars for a spin.

Both versions are attractively unpretentious. The exterior of the 2012 version is just slightly more streamlined, which to some eyes, reads as bland. Inside, the fabric has been upgraded, but I didn't notice it being significantly more soft or tactile or high quality. The interior's fit and finish employed similar large swaths of molded plastic in contrasting, if complimentary, neutral shades that make the Civic's interior noteworthy for absolutely no reason.

What was most significant to me was the added technology that in 2013 comes standard across all trims, specifically the addition of Bluetooth, steering wheel controls for the audio system and the backup camera. The camera is one of those safety mechanisms that, having become accustomed to it, I miss whenever it isn't around.

The 2013 is the second model year Honda has incorporated an Econ feature that, with the push of a button, helps the car save fuel by numbing the accelerator's responsiveness. As if that cue weren't significant enough, the dashboard is outfitted with an Eco Assist feature designed to coach greener driving. Drive in a manner that would get Al Gore's approval, and the background lighting looks green. Floor it, and the light turns blue.

Honda claims a combined fuel economy rating of 32 mpg combined. I averaged 30.6 mpg over 130 miles of driving. That's the one area in which the Civic has not changed since 2012: Its extreme practicality.